Don Berwick on Welfare & Poverty

All means all: focus on equality and poverty

In order to secure a spot on the primary ballot, candidates needed at least 15% of votes from delegates at the party convention. With a tight smile and a wave, Coakley insisted she was pleased with Saturday's results. "It's terrific.
We had a goal coming in that we wanted to get our 15% to get on the ballot. We've had a great day."

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from Berwick, a rookie politician who's advocating for a single-payer health insurance system.
Berwick finished just 1 percentage point behind the sitting attorney general. He's not well-known, but he's a rock star in the progressive wing.
Berwick's supporters chanted "all means all," a reference to his focus on equality and poverty.

Implement "best practices" to end homelessness

Even though Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states in the country, homelessness persists here. Massachusetts has almost 20,000 homeless individuals, and the problem is getting worse. This need not be the case. Massachusetts can--and should--
end homelessness.

"Best practices" to end homelessness exist, and we should use them. Initiatives like the 100,000 Homes Campaign have demonstrated that ending homelessness is possible. In the last three years this effort has mobilized more than
200 cities and communities across the nation to rapidly identify those who are chronically homeless (those who live on the streets for years at a time) and place them into permanent, supportive housing that provides the health care and counseling
services they need. More than 70,000 of these individuals now have homes.

As Governor, I will build upon such efforts and make certain that all homelessness in the state comes to end.